Raised on Grit, Guts & Mixtapes: Why Gen X Is Still the Coolest
A quick moment to reminisce
Listen, I don’t need validation or a cosign because we Gen X’ers know how to go at it alone but surely feel free to give me a “duh” in the comments.
We don’t need a viral TikTok trend to remind us who we are.
We’re Gen X—raised on rotary phones, Saturday morning cartoons, handwritten notes, and mixtapes that said what our mouths couldn’t.
We grew up in the middle:
Between latchkey afternoons and AOL dial-up.
Between landlines and lyrics you had to rewind to memorize.
Between boomers who told us to suck it up and millennials who found language for their feelings.
And somehow, we turned out real.
Resilient. Resourceful.
Cool without trying—because we had to figure it out with a no pressure kind of attitude.
We were the first to go from Walkmans to iPhones. And speaking of Walkmans, I dare not touch on our music. From rock, hiphop, neosoul, RnB, soft rock, reggae, punk rock, pop to soft jazz, our music is unmatched.
From payphones to pagers to texting with two thumbs.
We made it through Y2K, low-rise jeans, and a thousand reinventions—often while raising kids and caring for aging parents at the same time.
We were adulting before it was a hashtag.
And here's the secret no one told us in our 20s:
Our power actually peaks in midlife.
Now? We’re seasoned.
We’ve got boundaries, Bluetooth, and no patience for BS.
We crave peace over popularity, alignment over applause.
And if we leave the party early, it’s probably to fly to Portugal next week.
We didn’t grow up being told to “manifest” or “heal our inner child”—we just kept it moving.
But now, in this quieter, wiser chapter of life, something’s shifting.
We’re finally giving ourselves permission to pause.
To ask better questions.
To want more than just survival.
We’re unlearning the grind and relearning joy—and honestly, no generation does a comeback quite like Gen X.
And the truth is, midlife doesn’t have to be a crisis—it can be a reawakening.
A reclamation. A remix.
Because when we apply our grit and guts to living well—not just pushing through—we become unstoppable.
We don’t need loud announcements or glittery affirmations.
We just need space, clarity, and a life that actually fits the woman we’ve become.
Gen X women know how to survive. But more importantly—we’re learning how to thrive.
We’re finally asking:
What do I want?
Where do I want to live?
What would it look like to actually feel good in my body and bank account?
Spoiler: It’s not too late to rewrite the whole damn story.
Trust me girl—you’re still the coolest.
And your second act? It’s about to be iconic.
With love & mixtape energy,
Della